• Development of blockchain-based, supply chain management platform for oil and gas industry continues under PetroBLOQ banner
• Key markets identified for expansion plans include Russia, Ukraine and Switzerland
• Russian oil production reached 30-year high of 10.98 million barrels per day in 2017, making Russian oil and gas companies ideal candidates for PetroBLOQ technology
• Petroteq’s patent-protected clean technology for extraction of oil from sands and shale bolsters world’s green energy goals

Petroteq Energy Inc. (TSX.V: PQE) (OTCQX: PQEFF), focused on the development and implementation of proprietary, environmentally-friendly heavy oil extraction technologies for the energy industry, intends to expand its footprint by opening PetroBLOQ marketing offices in several key strategic locations around the globe. PetroBLOQ is the company’s advanced blockchain initiative aimed at solving the global supply chain and transaction management challenges facing the oil and gas industry.

PetroBLOQ, which recently joined the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, the world’s largest open-source blockchain initiative with over 200 members, is currently under development. A May 9 news release shows the company’s level of commitment through the opening of its PetroBLOQ Blockchain Labs in California (http://ibn.fm/ACyof). The company has leased purpose-built space and staffed the facility with blockchain and smart contract developers and UX/UI designers. PetroBLOQ is poised to become the first blockchain-based platform developed exclusively for the supply chain needs of the oil and gas sector.

Petroteq’s expansion of its PetroBLOQ consortium includes the previously announced addition of PEMEX, the Mexican state-owned petroleum company, and SOCAR Energy Ukraine, Ltd., a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic. The newly announced initiatives targeting Switzerland, Russia and Ukraine are based on a strategic analysis of the oil and gas industry’s growth in each country and the healthy interest shown by firms seeking the efficiency, transparency and decentralized technologies inherent in blockchain distributed ledger technology.

“We have been gaining traction with oil and gas related companies to our PetroBLOQ platform,” Alex Blyumkin, chairman of Petroteq’s board of directors, said in a May 14 news release (http://ibn.fm/6YQxo). “We feel that bolstering our international presence in key markets will create an advantage as we move forward with the platform’s development.”

Adding to the company’s deep background in the international oil and energy space, Petroteq recently appointed Frank Ingriselli to its advisory board. Ingriselli is a seasoned leader and entrepreneur with wide-ranging oil exploration experience in diverse geographies, business climates and political environments over the past three decades. He is the founder, president and CEO of Blackhawk Energy Ventures, a company focused on identifying and acquiring undervalued oil assets and maximizing their production and profit through the use of cost-effective, low-overhead programs aimed at bottom line profitability through operational efficiency and market responsiveness.

“We are excited to have Frank on our team,” David Sealock, CEO of Petroteq, said in announcing Ingriselli’s appointment to the board (http://ibn.fm/1sXFg). “We believe that his notable background and expertise in international oil and energy will serve as an invaluable tool for the development of our future strategy.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Petroteq.energy

• TGOD is one of only three of the 104 Canadian cannabis cultivators that grows organically and has received organic certification
• Strategic partnership with power company Eaton Corp. will substantially lower electricity costs and increase TGOD’s margins
• TGOD undergoing a fully funded 970,000 square foot expansion to increase its production capacity to 116,000 kg
• Company obtained Health Canada license to produce cannabis oils
• TGOD entered into exclusive licensing agreement with Colorado-based CBx Enterprises LLC

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX: TGOD) is setting a new standard for cannabis production. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, the company is one of only three out of 104 licensed Canadian cannabis cultivators that grow the product organically. On May 9, the company announced that it had received organic certification from Ecocert Canada, an internationally recognized world-leading organization in organic certification (http://ibn.fm/YgIiN). The result is cannabis of the highest quality that’s virtually free of pesticides and contaminants. In addition, TGOD has formed a strategic partnership with Eaton Corp. plc (NYSE: ETN), one of the largest power companies in the world, to lower electricity costs. These initiatives ensure that the company’s high-quality product demands a premium in the market, increasing its margins.

TGOD uses all natural, organic craft growing principles to cultivate synthetic pesticide-free medical cannabis. Through the deployment of its innovative technology and low-power solutions, the company is positioning itself as one of the most cost-efficient, superior-quality cannabis producers in Canada. TGOD has also formed an alliance with Hamilton Utilities Corporation in Ontario, which has resulted in a significant reduction in its power costs. The company has another larger cultivation facility planned and located in Quebec, the province with the lowest power rates in Canada.

The company’s partnership with Eaton Corp. is of tremendous benefit to both parties. By optimizing TGOD’s power costs to some of the lowest in the industry, Eaton intends to corner business in the rapidly growing cannabis market and establish itself as a leader in power management and lighting for cannabis cultivation. TGOD has also formed partnerships with Ledcor Group, one of the most respected vertically integrated construction companies in Canada, and the most technologically advanced greenhouse engineers, Larssen Ltd. This consortium will bring its world-class expertise to ensure that the company’s projects are completed on time and within budget.

The company is currently undergoing phased construction of a 970,000 square foot expansion to it greenhouse facilities in Ontario and Quebec. This will increase cannabis production to 116,000 kilograms per year. The project will be funded by a recently secured $112 million private placement, which includes a $55 million strategic investment by another established cannabis grower, Aurora Cannabis Inc. (OTCQX: ACBFF) (TSX: ACB). This partnership with Aurora will position TGOD to have some of the largest and most technically advanced production facilities in the world (http://ibn.fm/m3Nec).

The expansion to TGOD’s facility in Hamilton, Ontario, is expected to increase annual production to 14,000 kilograms by the end of 2018. This will bring the capacity of this facility up to 150,000 square feet. The company’s much larger cultivation facility on its 75-acre property in Quebec will cover 820,000 square feet when complete. Construction is currently underway, and TGOD expects it to be completed by Q2 2019.

The company also has plans to secure a share of the growing cannabis oils market and recently obtained a supplemental license from Health Canada to produce cannabis oils. The license, effective April 20, 2018, will be crucial for furthering TGOD’s research and development in the niche and for expanding its intellectual property portfolio with new, high-quality organic products, according to CEO and Co-Chairman Robert Anderson (http://ibn.fm/tf6p4).

Cannabis oil is an essential raw material for the production of several recreational market verticals, including edibles, concentrates, beverages and topicals. TGOD has commissioned a purpose-built cannabis oil extraction facility, using CO2 extraction technology. This commercial-scale extraction unit will be able to process up to 12,500 kilograms of raw material per year, which will produce high-quality organic cannabis oils.

TGOD also recently announced an exclusive licensing agreement with CBx Enterprises LLC for the licensing of the Evolab and CBx Sciences brands and proprietary technologies and formulations within Canada and other international jurisdictions outside of the United States. The CBx team brings decades of experience developing and marketing a diverse array of unique, first-to-market medical and recreational cannabis products. The licensing arrangement is expected to immediately expand The Green Organic Dutchman’s product and technology portfolio and position the company for the successful development of new products as Canadian and global product requirements and standards rapidly evolve (http://ibn.fm/eVecD).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.TGOD.ca

• Company’s new products are designed to address issues such as inflammation, joint pain, post-surgery pain and skin disorders in pets
• CBD pet market is heating up, with a growing number of cannabis companies already manufacturing products for this niche
• Pet owners spend more than $30 billion a year on supplements and other veterinary treatments, making CBD pet products a lucrative opportunity

The multiple uses of cannabidiol (CBD) for domesticated animals, especially for dogs and cats, are gaining considerable attention from both consumers and the cannabis industry as a whole, with a growing number of cannabis companies tapping into this lucrative market sector. Canadian-based biopharmaceutical company Pivot Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: PVOT) (OTCQB: PVOTF) (FRA: NPAT) already has several CBD-based pet products in development, targeting indications such as inflammation, post-surgical pain and joint pain, as well as skin disorders.

Pivot recently announced that it was accelerating development of its CBD pet product line, which will be marketed under the name ‘Pivot Naturals For Pets’ (http://ibn.fm/mNAiy). This product line will include capsules and sachets to deliver bio-available CBD, using Pivot’s proprietary and patented Ready-To-Infuse-Cannabis powder. In addition, the company is using its Thrudermic Transdermal Nanotechnology to develop and commercialize a series of CBD pet creams for topical application.

“With Pivot’s line of pet products, the pain-relieving effects of CBD can be delivered orally, topically or as an additive sprinkled on pet food. Pivot’s technologies are versatile and allow us to develop and commercialize products for both the human and veterinary markets,” Dr. Joseph Borovsky, Pivot’s executive vice president, product development, stated in a news release. He added that the company’s patented technologies will allow it to continue its innovation process to bring dozens of value-added derivatives to market in Canada, the United States and the European Union.

The Canadian cannabis market is yet to reach its full potential, with an exponential increase expected this year once the country fully legalizes cannabis. Legalization, in combination with a growing demand for CBD products for pets in both Canada and the U.S., is expected to make this investment avenue a very lucrative opportunity. According to the American Pet Products Association, pet owners in the U.S. spent more than $30 billion on supplements and other veterinary treatments in 2016. The U.S. pet medicine market alone is estimated at roughly $10.2 billion.

With several studies indicating that CBD interacts in a similar way in canines and felines, making it a viable option to address a wide range of issues such as anxiety, allergies, lack of appetite, arthritis or skin problems (http://ibn.fm/jzzFP), Pivot can successfully leverage its experience and innovative manufacturing technologies to take a leading position in the CBD pet market.

The company is already well positioned to develop industry-leading, high-quality cannabinoid-based products for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical use, through proprietary drug delivery platforms via its own medical cannabis product division, Pivot Green Stream Health Solutions (“PGS”). Responsible for the research, development and commercialization of the company’s products, PGS has acquired global rights for several patented technologies, including BiPhasix™ transdermal drug delivery, Solmic oral solubilization, Thrudermic Transdermal Nanotechnology and Ready-to-Infuse-Cannabis powder-to-oil technology. These technologies are at the foundation of the company’s pipeline of pharmaceutical products, which target different ailments and conditions ranging from cancer supportive care to glaucoma, women’s sexual desire disorder, dermatological conditions, opioid withdrawal, pain and inflammation, and many others.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PivotPharma.com

• User-friendly app, compatible with Android and iOS, is available for download at Google Play, the Apple Store and via web browsers
• Bit4Sure offers proprietary cryptocurrency transaction confirmation solution via API for business and mobile app for consumers
• Worldwide cryptocurrency market expected to reach $84 billion by 2024
• Competitive, technological breakthrough allows consumer to work simultaneously with several crypto exchanges, receiving the best exchange rate at time of transaction

Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP) is a technology company dedicated to making cryptocurrencies accessible to the public, specifically by creating payment solutions for businesses and consumers which combine Application Programming Interfaces (“API”) and Mobile Applications for implementation across ATMs, PCs, tablets and other mobile devices. The company’s recent launch of its Bit4Sure API solution provides subscribers with direct access to Virtual Crypto’s proprietary algorithm model, giving them real-time confirmation of cryptocurrency transactions (http://ibn.fm/CX9d4).

Online trading in 2018 is swiftly moving to mobile platforms as cryptocurrency enthusiasts are seeking more options to intersect with the burgeoning crypto market, according to a review of TD Ameritrade clients. Forty percent of the company’s traders are logging in daily to a mobile platform, an article in Benzinga states (http://ibn.fm/014OF). The worldwide cryptocurrency market is poised to continue its stunning upward growth trend, moving from a $1.9 billion market in 2017 to $84 billion by 2024, according to a Wintergreen Research Inc. report (http://ibn.fm/ld3jY).

Virtual Crypto Technologies anticipates its intuitive, easy-to-use Bit4Sure API app, which is compatible with Android and iOS and available for download at Google Play, the Apple Store and online at Bit4Sure.com, will be particularly attractive to crypto exchanges, payment processors, crypto wallets and other direct crypto participants. Virtual Crypto’s Bit4Sure API solution enables subscribers to monitor the trading market of any cryptocurrency, which shields subscribers from delay, double spending and fraud by providing real-time transaction status.

Bit4Sure strengthens the incentive for businesses and consumers to make cryptocurrency trades by bridging the time gap from when a transaction is published on the bitcoin network to the moment it joins the blockchain. This nearly instantaneous process ensures that subscribers receive validation of a transaction without having to virtually “wait in line” for confirmation. The traditional crypto trade wait time of from 10 minutes to 24 hours or more is relegated to the backseat of history, as the Bit4Sure API solution essentially confirms the validity of a transaction before it reaches the blockchain for inclusion in a mined block.

“This launch is yet another step in our objective of building consumer confidence in the cryptocurrency marketplace,” Alon Dayan, co-founder and CEO of Virtual Crypto, stated in a company news release (http://ibn.fm/c5tVs). “Bit4Sure speeds up the trading process and removes much of the risk associated with autonomous transactions, providing tremendous values to businesses working to establish a presence in this burgeoning industry.”

Buyers and sellers alike have been clamoring for a more efficient and secure real-time crypto exchange solution that eliminates wait times, which can lead to higher transaction fees. Virtual Crypto’s Bit4Sure answers this call.

“Although there are more than 1,000 cryptocurrencies in the market, they’re only being used by a relatively small segment of the population. We believe this is primarily due to a lack of information about cryptocurrencies and the way they work,” Dayan added. “By providing aspiring traders a free platform where they can experiment in the crypto-market with minimal risk, we are hopeful that they will take advantage of the opportunity and discover just how easy it is.”

Virtual Crypto’s strategic vision of “Cryptocurrency Made Easy” allows crypto traders and users to overcome the complex hurdles currently hampering the cryptocurrency sphere.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Virtual-Crypto.com

• First Cobalt resources include large swath of under-explored Cobalt Camp land in Canada, mill and mineral extraction facility
• Addition of US Cobalt’s Idaho project creates new activation possibility for potential cobalt source
• Electric vehicle production plans drive fears of cobalt shortage among existing world suppliers

The largest cobalt explorer in North America is actively building its potential, paving the way for possible new production of the tech industry-friendly metal without the political conflicts currently plaguing its overall market. First Cobalt Corp.’s (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) bid to acquire US Cobalt, Inc. (TSX.V: USCO) (OTCQB: USCFF) gives First Cobalt an additional tool to leverage as a player in the cobalt market (http://ibn.fm/AHDpW).

First Cobalt controls 50 historic mining operations for prospecting across Canada’s renowned Cobalt Camp on over 10,000 hectares (24,710.54 acres) in Ontario. The company also owns a mill and the only permitted cobalt extraction refinery in North America capable of production of battery-grade material. The US Cobalt deal provides First Cobalt with access to US Cobalt’s Iron Creek project in Idaho, which has the potential to produce cobalt within a short period.

Cobalt is one of the critical and hard-to-find metals used in the low-heat batteries preferred by modern computer-reliant technology. Smartphones, which have become as ubiquitous as automobiles themselves, use about eight grams of refined cobalt; electric vehicles, which are gaining a demanding audience from China to Chino, California, amid concerns about petroleum product pollution, use more than 1,000 times that amount.

Further complicating the somewhat limited sources of cobalt available for use in lithium-ion batteries, about two-thirds of the entire cobalt supply worldwide flows from the Democratic Republic of the Congo — an African country criticized for allegations of political corruption and child labor violations as it exploits its rich mineral resources to obtain the profits that foreigners provide. First Cobalt’s unique positioning in the United States and Canada opens the door for a possible mineral source that’s untrammeled by the DRC’s conflict issues.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysts foresee electric vehicles obtaining cost parity with gasoline engine models by the middle of the next decade and accounting for a third of the global fleet by 2040. However, they noted this month that a hastening supply shortage of cobalt complicates such forecasts, because price spikes resulting from a supply imbalance could stall factors improving the affordability of lithium-ion batteries (http://ibn.fm/L1MlG). In China, the world’s biggest consumer of electric vehicles, the sales of EVs are outpacing predictions, which may further squeeze supplies on a short-term basis.

“The long lead time to bring on new mines and the concentration of cobalt reserves in the Democratic Republic of the Congo mean there is a real possibility of supply shocks in the early 2020s,” the BNEF analysts reported.

First Cobalt’s significant stockpile material and the processing infrastructure that it has at the Canadian site support early production and cash flow generation in a region that the company views as under-explored for its cobalt potential and one that has never been examined for bulk mining opportunities.

US Cobalt’s May 18 announcement that 99.87 percent of its security holders had voted to accept First Cobalt’s acquisition bid noted that the Iron Creek project in Idaho has a historic mineral resource estimate of 1.3 million tons with a grade of 0.59 percent cobalt, but, since the historical estimate is non-compliant with modern NI 43-101 reporting standards, a new resource estimate is expected by October.

“On behalf of the Board and management, I look forward to welcoming our new US Cobalt shareholders,” First Cobalt board Chairman Paul Matysek stated following the announcement. “Our vision is to create the largest North American pure-play exploration and development company in the world. With this acquisition, we have an opportunity to fast track the Iron Creek Cobalt project into one of the first producing cobalt mines this century.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/FTSSF

• Combatting a culture of waste
• New modern technology applied to extend the life of existing infrastructure while reducing carbon footprint
• Company’s Zero Cost Program sets the standard higher for others in the utility industry by offering sustainability as a service

Zenergy Brands Inc. (OTC: ZNGY) is combatting the “use it or lose it” mindset that has created a culture of waste through decades of use in our energy industry. Simply put, the energy industry is not set up to reward environmental or social responsibility, but rather, is encouraged to move or sell as much volume as possible. As a result, waste has been rewarded. In the U.S., it is estimated that two-thirds of the nation’s energy was wasted in 2017 (http://ibn.fm/webW0). ZNGY is working hard to significantly decrease this number. By reducing energy waste, the company is creating a positive impact on the environment, decreasing the client’s energy consumption, and improving the long-term enterprise value of its clients.

Through re-education, energy-efficient services, and smart control products, the company is reducing the nation’s carbon footprint. ZNGY believes that an overhaul of the current energy grid is not required; instead, it can be extended another 100 years if conservation and efficiency measures are implemented. This belief is what is behind Zenergy’s Zero Cost Program, through which the company applies new modern technology to existing frameworks. Focusing on conservation rather than consumption through the responsible purchasing, procurement and management of electricity, along with water and natural gas, the company is leading the way in the emerging smart energy, conservation and utility industries.

Zenergy is directly challenging the status quo and creating a new culture with its new outlook on energy. It is transforming the utility business model to attract more lifelong customers by enabling commercial, industrial and municipal end-use customers to benefit from significantly lower upfront cost while achieving immediate reduction in consumption and expense. Furthermore, ZNGY is rewarding those who seek to reduce waste. As a result, the company is putting pressure on others in the industry to be economically and environmentally responsible rather than holding fast to an outdated system of increased output that equals increased sales, regardless of the waste that accompanies it. Through its Zero Cost Program, Zenergy is challenging and revolutionizing the utility industry, setting an example of the innovative sustainability as a service model.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ZenergyBrands.com

• Detection systems provide drivers with safety features that cut through all weather and lighting conditions
• Foresight’s trademark QuadSight system utilizes stereo vision technology, coupled with infrared and visible light cameras, to detect objects under all weather and lighting conditions
• Additional products are Eyes-On, an advanced ADAS system, and Eye-Net, a cellular-based accident prevention solution
• ADAS market forecast: $79 billion by 2020 amid automaker demand for safety systems

“Driverless” autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles are becoming more commonplace despite societal concerns about the risks of not having someone in control as a car speeds along. Forward-facing cameras in many of the latest models of legacy automotive brands allow vehicles to “see” where lane markings are and assess the behavior of other vehicles on the road, giving consumers a growing degree of confidence in their safety, and some companies are taking the capabilities of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technologies to next-level applications, such as the recently debuted QuadSight system that Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX) has developed to detect roadway objects under all weather and lighting conditions.

Basic ADAS systems rely on mono visible light cameras that detect movement, but a variety of companies are introducing more complex systems that may incorporate stereo vision, radar, lidar and infrared sensors. QuadSight is driven by advanced and proven image processing algorithms, utilizing a four-camera set up that includes two sets of stereoscopic infrared and visible light cameras, enabling highly accurate and reliable obstacle detection, even when weather conditions make visibility poor for drivers.

“Vision is the foundation of passenger safety, and vision perfection under all weather and lighting conditions is clearly the breakthrough that vehicle makers need to build consumer confidence in order to accelerate autonomous vehicle adoption,” CEO Haim Siboni stated in a January news release announcing the company’s entry at the tech industry’s annual CES show in Las Vegas (http://ibn.fm/0wAeD).

Foresight Autonomous Holdings is building on the demo version it produced, creating a prototype for pilot projects that will take place on public roads, and the company expects to see the system finished and commercialized during the second half of next year. An autonomous vehicle built on sound quality principles has the potential to improve traffic safety, virtually eliminating the likelihood of texting-while-driving fatalities, for example, or crashes that occur while someone is reaching for an item.

Electronic Design magazine noted that Foresight’s QuadSight system can detect details better than the human eye by using a passive camera system that processes visual input rather than relying on signal response from lidar and radar systems (http://ibn.fm/psYXC). The company has developed three main products; in addition to QuadSight’s visual perceptiveness, Foresight developed the Eyes-On system, a unique stereo vision Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) using advanced algorithms for accurate depth analysis and obstacle detection, and the Eye-Net system, a cellular-based accident prevention solution designed to provide real-time pre-collision alerts to pedestrians and vehicles that are not in direct line-of-sight and not covered by other alerting systems.

The Eye-Net solution is deployed on smartphones and cloud-based servers which rely on existing cellular networks, eliminating the need for designated hardware. It was developed for use in both urban environments and high-speed highway scenarios. In early May, Foresight announced a merger agreement that will spin Eye-Net off into a new wholly-owned subsidiary and then transfer 100 percent of its subsidiary’s share capital to Tamda, Ltd. (TASE: TMDA) in exchange for a nearly 75 percent stake in Tamda’s share capital.

The company has further demonstrated its commitment to traffic safety by investing in RailVision — a company that develops advanced vision systems to manage safety and maintenance issues on railways. RailVision has completed 13 tests of its systems in Israel, where Foresight is based, and throughout Europe.

Infoholic Research has forecast that the autonomous vehicle market will reach $126.8 billion worldwide by 2027 (http://ibn.fm/lvtPa), and Mordor Intelligence foresees a $79 billion market for ADAS alone by 2020 with a CAGR of 28 percent as a result of current demand for new driver assistance systems (http://ibn.fm/8rOdb).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ForesightAuto.com

• U.S. High Court opened door to state-by-state legalization of sports betting on May 14
• Mobile gaming surpassed $50 billion mark during 2017; illicit sports betting estimates are far higher
• Consorteum poised to take advantage of potentially explosive market with flexible Universal Mobile Interface™ technology

The Supreme Court’s May 14 ruling that delivered a states’ rights victory to advocates of sports betting (http://ibn.fm/rJKf2) also notched up wins for companies that have maintained multi-jurisdictional presences for online sports wagers, as well as the companies that supply them with the tech, oversight and marketing services they need to operate (http://ibn.fm/6Ko1k). Mobile connectivity player Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTC: CSRH) has built its reputation on developing and delivering end-to-end solutions for players in the fintech and data analytics industries, but this month’s announcement that its first app to market is a tool to help cricket sports betting fans analyze statistics and predict outcomes for their favorite cricket teams and players (http://ibn.fm/9h54s) shows that the company is at the forefront of a potentially explosive market.

Nearly 60 million people in the United States and Canada participate in fantasy sports leagues, many of which involve money wagers, according to Chicago Tribune estimates (http://ibn.fm/NNRUa). About half of all American adults say that they’ve bought lottery tickets during the past year, and some 81 million people patronized casinos last year, according to the report. That shows the growing acceptance of gambling since the days when violent gangsters ruled the black market for all forms of betting — whether in Nevada, where it was legal, or elsewhere in the nation, where it was not. Nowadays, gamblers can find casinos in 40 states and lotteries in 44, but until the ruling by the High Court on athletics wagers, sports betting remained legal only in Nevada.

Now, media outlets are touting the expansive potential for a market that already sees $150 billion per year in illegal sports betting in the United States. A CNBC economist disputes the figure, arguing that $67 billion would be a more realistic estimate (http://ibn.fm/xFsLD) based on comparisons with the current legal betting going on in the United Kingdom, but either way, the enormous size of the market potential is evident. Even as the May 14 ruling was being delivered to news reporters, stocks tied to gambling and sports betting began to surge worldwide, and Churchill Downs Inc. announced a day or two later that it would parlay its experience with online horse race wagering to gallop into the sports betting industry (http://ibn.fm/93TNg).

Consorteum Holdings’ first Edgelytics™ predictive analytics mobile app is focused on the game of cricket, which is far from a major sport in the United States but enjoys one of the largest fan bases in the world nonetheless, second only to soccer. The app is expected to be available this summer on all Android and iOS devices, mining historical statistics and providing artificial intelligence to help fans make scientifically more likely predictions about the future performance of “their” athletes.

The app will provide Consorteum with valuable insight on consumer use as the company anticipates its next release. Consorteum’s central product, its Universal Mobile Interface™ (UMI) is a modern-tech platform designed to integrate any stream of data onto a mobile platform. After remarkable growth in the worldwide gaming market last year, mobile devices established themselves as a noteworthy influence by comprising nearly half of the total gaming market’s access platform (http://ibn.fm/iwO2j).

“Exactly 10 years ago, the launch of the iPhone ignited a revolution in games, creating a new market segment that is this year worth around $50 billion. The past years have seen the rise of esports, taking the already popular activity of viewing game video content to a professional level. … Underlying this success are the tools given to consumers to create and share their own experiences around their favorite game franchises,” a November article in Newzoo states (http://ibn.fm/M1aVb).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Consorteum.com

• Historically developed lithium mine site shows hitherto unexplored resources
• Electric vehicle battery demand driving lithium supply shortage fears
• Manitoba generating new excitement as mining companies seek untapped potential

QMC Quantum Minerals Corp.’s (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) exploration of a forgotten treasure in Manitoba’s southeastern climes may yield a significant source of lithium amid exploding demand for the tech-friendly metal during the coming decade. Notably, lithium is on the U.S. Government’s Final List of Critical Minerals for 2018 (http://ibn.fm/tBDMC).

The company’s hard rock mining operation is rebooting a 60-year-old production field that contains 13 adjoining mineral claims across 6,538 acres located some 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of Winnipeg. The Irgon Dike property’s lithium potential has been known since it was developed by The Lithium Corporation of Canada Ltd. (“LCOC”) in the 1950s, but more recent technological analysis is reporting possible resources beyond the estimated 1.2 million tons of lithium oxide-bearing pegmatite graded at 1.51 percent concentration that LCOC identified over a length of 365 meters and to an explored depth of 213 meters (http://ibn.fm/gOU38).

Recent 3-D modeling indicates that exploration and underground development has only occurred on the upper and central parts of the dike, which means that there’s a large part of the dike that may yet yield untapped tonnage. The dike is open both along strike and to depth, raising the likelihood of rapidly firing up the shuttered operation. In the 1950s, a complete mining plant was built at the site to process 500 tons of ore per day, and a three-compartment shaft was sunk 74 meters deep, but work stopped as the lithium oxide market proved too unfavorable for further outlays by the company at the time.

Manitoba’s modern era is a different world from what LCOC encountered, in a variety of senses. Most significantly, lithium has become a promising metal whose current supply levels are expected to fall far short of demand, sparking a race by corporations and national governments to secure supply chains where possible. China’s aggressive bid for 30 percent ownership of lithium triangle corporation Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile was rebuffed by the Chilean government last year, raising the specter of political discord before an agreement was reached this month allowing China’s Tianqi Lithium to buy a $4.07 billion stake for 24 percent of the Chilean company (http://ibn.fm/GTlWn).

Much of the reason for lithium’s outlook is that the metal has become a key element of modern devices, whose technology is becoming ubiquitous in society. Smartphone ownership is almost as much of a “necessity” as having a car and reaches a younger demographic than automobile ownership. The batteries powering those phones rely on lithium as a key component but are only a fraction of the use potential exhibited by the batteries for electric vehicles, which are gaining ascendancy as consumers and world governments alike look for ways to reduce the pollutant impact of petroleum fuels powering the traditional auto industry. France and Britain are making plans to end the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars by 2040 (http://ibn.fm/IL5I0), China’s government is pushing for two million EV sales by 2020 (http://ibn.fm/vjXYu) and, in the United States, California is pushing for five million EVs on the road by 2025, with eight other states following that state’s sales target of 15.4 percent EVs by that year (http://ibn.fm/3TXEx).

Manitoba’s mining industry is also acquiring a new level of interest from a variety of exploration companies. The province in Canada’s south-central region has historically had the ups and downs typical of mineral endeavors, but a recent economic summit provided some information on Manitoba’s outlook (http://ibn.fm/JhNyc).

“I was at the mining conference in Toronto back in the beginning of March and I was surprised at the enthusiasm shown for Manitoba by both mining exploration companies and the mining companies,” Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen said during the event. “We know it’s a long haul. To develop a mine takes a long time but the mining companies and exploration companies were calling Manitoba the untapped jewel of potential.”

The Irgon site assays conducted by LCOC decades ago showed 2.3 percent lithium oxide over 7.3 feet, as noted in a recent report issued by QMC (http://ibn.fm/RHtRA). That puts the deposits there in the high-grade class, commercially feasible at present lithium prices. QMC Quantum Minerals’ portfolio also includes two volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) properties collectively known as the Namew Lake District Project, which has metal-rich mineral deposits over approximately 23,000 hectares (about 57,000 acres) within the productive Flin Flon/Snow Lake VMS mining district of northwestern Manitoba.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.QMCMinerals.com

• Sports industry continues healthy growth with four percent CAGR
• Sports fans are the wealthiest Americans
• Sports app gives fans an avenue to cheer and vent

The sports industry in America is thriving. With some 60 percent of Americans identifying as sports fans, the revenues from games, accessories, TV rights and hot dogs must be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Sports fans, it seems, have money to spend, an observation borne out by Gallup, which found that a higher proportion of wealthier Americans are sports fans than their less well-heeled neighbors. FANDOM SPORTS Media Corp. (CSE: FDM) (OTC: FDMSF) (FRANKFURT: TQ42) is out to score with these big spenders. The company is launching an aggressive digital marketing campaign to launch its Android Sports App.

Even though the sports industry in America continues to grow at a CAGR of four percent, up from $60.5 billion in 2014 and expected to reach $73.5 billion by 2019, according to Forbes, the proportion of American “sports fans” remains steady at around 60 percent (http://ibn.fm/e85Cb). Football tops the list of sports, with 37 percent of respondents choosing it as their favorite. Rounding out the selections, 13 percent chose basketball, 10 percent picked baseball, five percent chose auto racing, four percent went for ice and figure skating and three percent picked ice hockey. Other games, including golf, tennis, soccer, boxing, gymnastics, rodeo, motocross and wrestling, mustered two percent or less.

Not surprisingly, men (66 percent) are much more likely to be sports fans than women (51 percent), and significantly more upper-income Americans (68 percent) regard themselves as sports fans than the 55 percent of middle-income and 54 percent of lower income Americans who do the same (http://ibn.fm/gHqoM). Upper-income Americans have consistently been much more likely than their less wealthy brethren to identify themselves as sports fans. Indeed, taking into account both income and gender, it turns out that 76 percent of upper-income men are sports fans. These are the guys driving industry growth. FANDOM SPORTS is hoping to make them fans… of its Android Sports App, now in its second incarnation.

FANDOM SPORTS Media is a sports entertainment company that aggregates, curates and produces unique fan-focused content. The company was established to allow sports fans to play out and give expression to their passion for their sports of choice. Through the social media environment of the platform, they can express their adoration for their teams and players… and bash the other side. The App facilitates uncensored and unfiltered dialogue and rewards fans with virtual currency for their comments.

To touch base with sports fans, FANDOM SPORTS Media has hired an industry leading mobile app marketing and strategy firm to conduct aggressive marketing outreach (http://ibn.fm/2ASDu). The campaign is designed to increase growth and discovery, drive engagement, refine potential revenue opportunities and better position the FANDOM SPORTS App for the successful rollout of its v2 product, scheduled for release in early Q4 2018. Version 2 of the App is an Android adaptation of an earlier iOS version, which the company will now put into hibernation.

The company is employing the tagline, “Pick a Fight”, signaling it intends to go about acquiring users by an appeal to their competitive instincts… an appropriate strategy in the land of free competition.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.FANDOMSPORTSMedia.com